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Objective 1.5

N10-009

Compare and contrast transmission media and transceivers.

Objective 1.5 sits in Networking Concepts, which carries 23% of the Network+ exam. The questions below are original, written from the official objective title above, and each explanation cites the CompTIA page it rests on.

Objective title verbatim from the official objectives. CompTIA exam page ↗

A worked example

Shown solved, with the whole explanation open: this is what every question here carries.

1-5Networking Concepts

A network engineer reviewing the Catalyst 9300 interface configuration guide notes that Multigigabit Ethernet ports deliver speeds above 1 Gbps without recabling the access layer. Which transmission media enables this capability?

Coaxial cabling terminated with F-type connectorsCoaxial with F-type connectors is associated with broadband and video links, not switch access ports.
Single-mode fiber optic cabling installed between buildingsSingle-mode fiber supports long distances but is not the media referenced by the Multigigabit Ethernet feature on existing copper runs.
Twisted pair copper cabling, such as existing Cat5e or Cat6 runsCorrect · your answerCorrect: this is the media Multigigabit Ethernet is built to run over.
Direct attach copper cabling connecting adjacent switchesDirect attach copper is used for short transceiver-to-transceiver switch links, not for reusing installed twisted pair runs.

Correct.

Checked against cisco.com, July 2026

Concept

The expensive part of a speed upgrade at the access layer is what is already in the walls, not the hardware at either end. Signalling standards that reach higher rates over media a building already has let a site buy speed by swapping endpoints, while anything needing new cable pulls turns an upgrade into a construction project.

Why C

Twisted pair copper cabling, such as Cat5e or Cat6, is the media Multigigabit Ethernet uses to reach 2.5/5/10 Gbps on existing runs.

Source

The MultiGigabit Ethernet (mGig) feature allows you to configure speeds of 100 Mbps, 1 Gbps, 2.5 Gbps, and 5 Gbps with automatic bandwidth negotiation over traditional CAT5e cables and higher cable variants.

Cisco: Configuring Interface Characteristics, checked July 2026
#twisted pair#multigigabit ethernet#transmission media

Now you: objective 1.5 questions

No account needed. The explanation opens when you answer.

Sample question 1 of 3

1-5Networking Concepts

Two switches sit three metres apart in one rack and are joined by a 25 Gbps direct attach cable. Which link mode does that cable use?

Sample question 2 of 3

1-5Networking Concepts

An engineer brings up a 25 Gbps optical link between two switches. One end runs forward error correction and the other has it turned off. What can result?

Sample question 3 of 3

1-5Networking Concepts

A technician wants to reuse this transceiver on a 2 km single mode span and reads its diagnostics first. What should the technician conclude?

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface ethernet monitor sfp3  name: sfp3  status: link-ok  ...  sfp-type: SFP/SFP+/SFP28/SFP56  sfp-connector-type: LC  sfp-link-length-om1: 500m  sfp-link-length-om2: 550m  sfp-wavelength: 850nm  ...

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Read the sources

These are the official pages the questions above cite. Reading them is studying the objective from the primary source, which is what the explanations point you toward anyway.

More objectives in Networking Concepts